Astros' George Springer riding an offensive hot streak

1of53PHOTOS: Astros game-by-game
George Springer #4 of the Houston Astros doubles in a run in the fifth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Minute Maid Park on April 23, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
Browse through the photos to see how the Astros have fared in each game this season.Photo: Bob Levey/Getty Images

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Record: 9-5
Houston Chronicle's Player of the GameJose Altuve & Yuli Gurriel
The Astros hit two grand slams in a game for the third time in franchise history.Photo: Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

George Springer entered Wednesday night's game with a five-game hitting streak that A.J. Hinch attributes in part to a more discerning eye when it comes to the strike zone.

"He is staying inside the strike zone," Hinch said. "He has taken some borderline pitches that he thinks are balls and strikes in some very questionable calls, and that is a good sign when he's taking borderline pitches."

Hinch did not elaborate, but one of the calls that he may have had in mind was a called third strike by umpire Ángel Hernández in the eighth inning Tuesday night, just prior to José Altuve's three-run homer. After Springer went to the dugout, a television camera showed what appeared to be a multi-syllabic imprecation that became quite the Twitter kerfuffle.

As for Springer's hot streak, the manager said, "He's pulling the ball low, which means his timing is right. We want to get the ball in the air, and he can hit it a mile when he does, but I like the base hits down the line, I like the singles up the middle. That means he is timed up pretty well and controlling the field and not one-dimensional in the air."

David Barron reports on sports media, college football and Olympic sports for the Houston Chronicle. He joined the Houston Chronicle in 1990 after stints at the Dallas bureau of United Press International (1984-90), the Waco Tribune-Herald (1978-84) and the Tyler Morning Telegraph (1975-78). He has been a contributor to Dave Campbell's Texas Football since 1980, serving as high school editor from 1984 through 2000 and as Managing Editor from 1990 through 2004. A native of Tyler, he is a graduate of John Tyler High School, Tyler Junior College and The University of Texas at Austin.

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